Close Quarters
by Mindy35
Summary: KIBBS and minor Tate. For men like Gibbs and Tony, Kate will always have the ultimate advantage.


Title: Close Quarters

Author: MindyH

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Not mine, never have been, never will be.

Spoilers: allusions Yankee White, Sub Rosa, UnSEALed, Boneyard.

Summary: Kibbs. And a little (don't shoot!) Tate. Set during season one when Kate is still new. Sharing close quarters can be hazardous.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"_DiNozzo_, if you do not wake her up -- and I mean _NOW _!" yelled Gibbs: "I swear, I will toss _YOU, HER_ and that _THING _overboard!"

Tony turned towards his boss with the loudly beeping alarm clock in one hand and his arms out at his sides in exasperated surrender.

"I've tried!" he huffed. He turned off the alarm which had been sounding obnoxiously for the past fifteen minutes and peered down at the rumple of sheet and hair on the lower bunk: "I think she's in a coma."

"She's not in a coma," Gibbs grumbled, impatiently, clearing a space for the laptop on the small table in the tiny cabin which the three of them had been crowded into for the past four days and nights.

Tony peered closer, cautiously lifting a corner of the blanket: "Boss, she's not breathing."

Gibbs stopped and looked over for a moment. "She's breathing fine," he mumbled after a pause, quickly turning back to his work: "Just… give her a good shake or something."

Tony scoffed, holding up his hands warily: "_YOU_ give her a shake," he countered reluctantly.

Gibbs' face rose slowly at the younger agents' disobedience, his eyes glinting with a clear warning. Tony, however, had very quickly learned that the wrath of Caitlin Todd was not to be underestimated or trifled with. His groin still hurt from where she'd "defended herself" last week in the gym, and all he'd done then was _look at her _in a way she didn't like. Despite his boss' characteristically stern attitude, he refused to give in.

Gibbs' gaze dropped slowly to his newer agent's comfortable huddle. He shifted uneasily behind the desk, as reluctant to wake Kate as the other man, but for an entirely different reason.

Tony smirked to himself privately. He enjoyed the way their newest addition seemed to get under his boss' skin. He'd always known that Jethro Gibbs, despite what he'd admit, was as susceptible to a woman's charms as the next man -- his rumored record of relationships proved that much.

But, up until this snarky little brunette came along, Tony had never actually had the opportunity to witness it. Even the master of emotional distance could not hide the fact from a trained eye which knew him well that this woman had made quite the impression.

It was funny – Tony never would've thought that she would be the type his older boss would go for. But then he had to confess, that even he, a self-professed expert when it came to the female of the species, found Kate Todd, even at her most annoying, curiously alluring.

He watched his boss march over to Kate's bedside, staring down at the unconscious woman. She lay on her side, the covers pulled up around her chin, her hair a tumble on the pillow and her face a picture of peaceful slumber, despite the spent alarm clock or their raised voices or the violently rocking vessel.

Gibbs put a careful hand on her shoulder and gave her a quick shake: "Kate," he said sharply and waited.

Kate slumbered on.

Gibbs looked to Tony.

Tony shrugged unhelpfully.

Gibbs gave her another shake: "Kate!" he tried more loudly.

"Kate!" Tony contributed gamely.

Kate's body jostled lightly under Gibbs' handling, her nose twitching a little against her pillow, as she burrowed deeper into her cocoon. But her rest remained undisturbed.

Leaning in a little closer, Gibbs tried one more time: "Kaaate!"

"Kate!" Tony yelled at her, enjoying the game immensely.

Gibbs gave him a glare and stepped in front of him, squatting down by the low bunk and sticking his face right in hers. "Time to rise, Agent Todd," he growled darkly in his most authoritative tone. Receiving no response, he growled testily: "SPECIAL AGENT TODD."

Kate sighed dreamily, squirming beneath the covers: "Hmmm…Gib…"

Tony crossed his arms over his chest and stifled a laugh in the back of his throat. Gibbs heard it nonetheless; he stared up at the younger agent with raised eyebrows.

"Don't. Even." he warned lowly.

"I wasn't gonna!" Tony protested gleefully, with an innocent shrug of his shoulders.

Kate sighed again and rolled over, scooting to the opposite side of the mattress. Gibbs rose to his feet, his hands on his hips and his brow creased in confusion.

"Who sleeps like that?" he asked himself grumpily. He certainly didn't sleep that well. Especially since the night he'd met a fiery young brunette aboard Air Force One. He could almost put his subsequent sleeplessness down to coincidence – if he hadn't sworn to himself incessantly that there was no such thing.

Tony grinned lopsidedly: "Maybe one us should kiss her," he offered thoughtlessly.

Gibbs turned to him slowly, his eyes steady and his face stony, not in the least amused. Tony mentally slapped himself and, once more, reminded himself of his personal rule to think through his thoughts before he dared speak them aloud.

He shrugged apologetically, shrinking under the other man's hard stare: "Works in fairytales…" he muttered in explanation.

"Uh huh," Gibbs stepped a little closer, pinning him with his uncompromising eyes and demanding his complete capitulation.

"You're right, Boss," Tony backtracked weakly: "yelling is probably far more effective."

Gibbs nodded slowly, then turned back to Kate, reverting to his initial tactic of shaking and yelling. Tony, who liked the yelling component but not the fact that all attention was focused on someone other than himself, soon tired of the game though and headed for the door.

"Well! As much fun as this is," he announced cheerily: "I have to go to the head."

With a grin, he strode out the door, leaving Gibbs with the problem of rousing Kate. He stood by the bed for a moment, at a loss. Peering at her, he could see that her breathing was deep and measured. He knew that Kate was a deep sleeper, but this was inhuman. He was not a patient man and less so since they'd boarded this tiny, turbulent boat, with it's less than hospitable crew. Their case was going nowhere, and he'd spent four restless nights on the squishy, vinyl couch listening to DiNozzo snore and watching Kate toss and turn.

Taking a big breath, he ducked under the bunk above, grasping Kate's shoulder and giving her another good shake: "Caitlin Todd!" he barked ill-humoredly.

Finally, Kate responded, shrugging him off her shoulder and flinging a hand back to whack him away. Catching her flailing arm, he dragged her floppy body to the near side of the mattress. Still unconscious, she collapsed onto her back, arms outstretched, chest falling softly beneath her little pink T-shirt. Gibbs' eyes widened, unblinking, wandering over the stunning sight of her softly defined curves.

She hummed quietly and Gibbs dropped the wrist he held in his hands like he'd been burnt, raising his gaze to her thankfully still closed eyes. Released from his grasp, Kate immediately retreated to the far side of the bed, curling up under the covers like a small child and groaning contentedly.

Trying again to draw her closer, he reached out and grasped her arm tightly. Kate's elbow flew back, nearly scoring him in the jaw and causing him to back up, hitting his head on the upper bunk. He cursed under his breath, and rubbed his head with one hand before he grabbed at another limb, this time taking his chances with her lower body.

He tugged at an ankle peeking out from beneath the covers, dragging her sleeping body across the bed. She did not fight but she did not wake either, as he pulled her body out from under the warm cover of the sheets and blankets she'd been bundled up in.

Gibbs straightened, startled by what he'd accomplished. He swallowed reflexively, gazing down at the sight of Katie Todd, still delightfully out-of-it, lying sprawled and defenseless on her back in only T-shirt, shorts and thick bedsocks.

Not his smartest move, he decided with a large gulp. This is was far too much of his female colleague than he was prepared to deal with.

The pink-socked foot still in his hand suddenly came to life, kicking sharply and scoring him in the gut. He groaned in pain, doubling over at the blow as Kate rolled back into her fetal position, the culpable limb curled innocently back against its partner.

Ignoring the sight of her round little bottom, encased in soft green shorts and mooning him unabashedly, he grabbed for her other leg, shifting back just in time to avoid another direct hit to the groin.

"Kate!" he grit through clenched teeth. This woman was lethal even in her sleep.

Thoroughly incensed and giving up on any kind of gentle approach, Gibbs lunged at her, seizing her body round the waist. In one swift move, he pulled Kate off the bed, onto her feet and into his arms.

He could feel the exact moment that she finally awoke, her body immediately going stiff as her left arm flew back in panic. He caught her wrist before she could wound him again and Kate twisted in his grasp, her eyes and mouth wide with shock.

"Gibbs!" she cried, gasping for breath: "What the hell are you doing!"

"Trying to wake _you_ up," he replied indignantly, still holding onto her tightly.

"Like _that_?" she questioned incredulously, her eyebrows raised in disbelief and her little hands making fists against his chest. "Nice bedside manner," she commented, rolling her eyes and relaxing slightly in his hold.

"You always sleep like that?" he demanded disbelievingly.

"No," she sighed, shaking her head slowly. "I took something," she mumbled tiredly: "I couldn't stand another night of Dinozzo's snoring."

He nodded slightly, vaguely remembering her getting up in the night. He'd had to quickly redirect his gaze from watching her sleep, when she'd gotten up, shuffling around groggily, and dug through her bag. The sight of so much Kate-leg had guaranteed that he hadn't noticed her taking a pill. He hadn't seen legs like that in years.

"God," she puffed, dropping her head against his shoulder: "my heart's going a mile a minute…" she muttered to herself, taking a deep breath.

He knew – he could feel it beating rapidly where she was pressed against him. He wondered whether she could feel his heart doing the damn fandango in his chest. He shifted back a little, looking down at her messy hair and trying not to notice that her shirt had twisted slightly and two of his fingers were actually touching the skin of her back. Or that she was standing on one of his feet, her knee wedged between his thighs.

"Jeez, Gibbs…" she murmured hazily, her hands sliding down his arms as she began to let go of him: "I was right in the middle of a dream…"

"Oh really?" he murmured interestedly, remembering her half-whispering his name in her sleep.

Ever since their fortuitous meeting aboard Air Force One, his own dreams had been filled with forbidden wonderings about fragrant, dark hair and young thighs, sweet, red lips and her voice eliciting dark cries. The torture was exquisite -- even when he _didn't _have her sleeping in the same room, not two steps away from him, in all her soft, feminine glory, her every breath exciting his ears, her every move drawing his gaze, her very presence preventing his sleep.

Kate looked up again, her eyes sharp under soft lashes: "Not _that _kind of dream, Gibbs," she retorted disapprovingly, brushing her hair from her eyes and looking more like her usual, cognizant self.

Gibbs chuckled softly as she gave him a wry, little smile. He watched her eyes change slightly as she suddenly realized how close they were and what their hands were doing. She didn't move away immediately, her eyes taking in the sight of his chest in his white undershirt, his brown shirt not yet buttoned up. Her lips twitched nervously, and she swallowed silently, her eyes lifting back to his.

Something primal and ancient surged thorough him, right down to his bones. Some inscrutable force he recognized from the other times he'd gotten close enough to Katie Todd to hold her and smell her and temporarily misplace that part of his brain which convinced him that she was only a colleague and he didn't want her. Or that she could never want him.

Her eyes held his as they stared at each other, her last words hanging, palpable and provocative, in the air between them. Her lips still smiled at him uncertainly, her chest swelled against his as she breathed each breath and her cheeks couldn't help themselves from filling with color.

"Well…" she breathed, licking her lips and apparently remembering herself.

She began to shift and he had no choice but to move back and give her some space. But before they'd moved away from each other or let go, the boat heaved forcefully to one side, causing them to crash back into one other. They'd probably have tumbled to the bed if Gibbs hadn't put out one hand, pressing against the bunk railing just by her head and holding them up. The other hand hauled her safely up against his body, keeping her on her feet and in position.

Kate gasped as she felt the boat lurch and gasped louder as she felt her body captured and controlled by Gibbs' purposeful grip. She could feel him all over and around her, and could hardly breathe with the indescribable closeness. She'd never smelled him early in the morning like this – his scent was so strong and fresh and masculine. His breath was in her hair and brushing against her temple, his hand rough against the bare skin of her back and his bulk warm and strong against her own scarcely clad and still slightly drowsy body. Her head swirled uncontrollably with sensation but her hands knew to hold on tight and never let go.

Soon – too soon – the boat righted itself and gravity returned to normal. Gibbs pulled back, looking at her with those deep, enigmatic eyes of his which she was still learning how to interpret. She stared back, aware that her face was red and her breathing heavy. She couldn't imagine how she looked to him, her reaction to his closeness so completely conspicuous.

It seemed to be a regular hazard of her new job – getting into these tight situations with her boss. He _was_ her superior now; she had to keep reminding herself of that. But as much as these situations embarrassed the life out of her, she couldn't honestly say that she wished them to stop. Replaying that time they'd been thrown together on the surfacing submarine was an almost daily (or, more accurately, nightly) ritual with her now. She had to admit that intermittently getting caught in tight spots with Jethro Gibbs was one of the unexpected perks of her new position.

Gibbs dropped his gaze away from hers, breaking their intimate eye contact. His eyes gave her a very quick once-over as his hands made sure she was solidly on her feet. Then he withdrew, clearing his throat and taking two steps back. She felt naked under his swift but circumspect appraisal, deeply exposed and vulnerable. One hand rubbed anxiously up and down her opposite arm, as she continued to study his face.

"Well..." he murmured, not looking at her: "you're awake now…"

"No kidding," she muttered under her breath, making a mental note to, that night, wear a bra to bed.

Gibbs waved a hand at her vaguely: "…you should get dressed. Got work to do."

He turned abruptly back to their workstation, leaning over the laptop and letting out a big breath. Kate blinked at him for an instant then shook herself into action, quickly gathering her toiletries and a fresh set of clothes. She couldn't wait to get off this horrible little craft, she thought to herself sullenly. No more changing clothes in the bathroom, no more washing her face in a tiny steel sink that leaked, no more lumpy mattress and insomnia due to DiNozzo's sinuses.

And no more seeing Gibbs in just his boxer shorts and undershirt. No more finishing his ice cream when he'd had enough. No more sensing him sitting close by as she fell asleep.

She slung her robe about her, pulling the tie about her middle a little too viciously. The man had her brain in her pants and her hormones running wild. She'd never been so insane over anyone and condemned her own impure, idiotic thoughts. Gibbs didn't see her that way, she thought, tying her hair up in a loose bun. And, besides, she reminded herself exasperatedly, the man was a selfish, stubborn, sneaky, overbearing, temperamental bastard.

"Oh, Gibbs?" she sang smoothly as she made her way to the door.

"Uh?" Gibbs looked up disinterestedly from the computer screen.

Kate opened the door and met his cool gaze: "Wake me like that again…." she told him coolly, nodding towards her temporary bed: "and I may just make good on that threat of shooting you." She narrowed her eyes at him warningly and then slipped out the door without a further word.

The corners of Gibbs' mouth turned slowly up in a curious smirk. He hesitated only briefly before moving over to the bed and carefully lifting Kate's pillow.

There, nestled cozily in the white sheets and undoubtedly loaded, was her service weapon. Gibbs' smirk transformed to a full-blown smile and he chuckled quietly to himself, rubbing his chin with one hand and contemplating his very lucky escape.

Kate stepped out into the narrow corridor, just as Tony was returning. She was still so absorbed with her own thoughts that she didn't notice him until he spoke.

"Aahh!" he greeted her sarcastically, striding down the corridor, a towel slung over his shoulder: "Sleeping Beauty awakes."

Kate grimaced tiredly: "No thanks to you, Goldilocks." She stifled a yawn, clutching her toiletry bag to her chest: "No wonder none of your girlfriends stick around, if you snore like that all the time."

Tony grinned widely. "And no wonder your boyfriends don't," he countered smugly: "if you scream your boss' name in your sleep."

Her face crumpled into an indignant frown: "I do not!" she protested, a little too vehemently.

"Do too," Tony replied, laughingly.

"Do not!" she cried, petulantly.

"Do too," he insisted, shoving his face in hers and whispering tauntingly: "I have very good ears."

"And a really big mouth," Kate retorted bluntly, brushing past him.

Tony watched her go, highly amused by her obvious distemper: "You could always pay me to keep quiet."

Kate stopped stalking down the corridor, turning towards him, haughtily: "In your dreams, DiNozzo," she spat scornfully.

"No, Kate," Tony replied, levelly: "In _yours_. Remember?"

Kate bit her cheek, swallowing a sharp rejoinder, her eyes spitting white-hot daggers. Tony grinned at her sour expression – God, she was gorgeous when pissed – and slipped inside before she could regain the advantage.

Truth was, he lamented secretly -- for men like him and his boss – Kate Todd would probably always have the ultimate advantage.

He re-entered their cluttered cabin, nearly tripping over Kate's bag, to find Gibbs, sitting at the desk, focused fixedly on a blank computer screen. He stared at his boss for a moment, before leaning in carefully and switching on the device. Gibbs looked up, surprised, then madly started searching through the files piled on the desk, his brow creased with intensity.

Abruptly he rose, abandoning whatever he'd been not doing.

"I need coffee," he grumbled crossly, striding hastily to the door.

Tony watched thoughtfully, then calmly sat down at the computer to set up the link with NCIS and say good morning to Abby. Glancing at the door as it slammed shut behind his boss, he shifted uneasily in his seat and sighed.

"Yeah, Boss," he murmured, shaking his head at the empty cabin's walls: "I know just how you feel."


End file.
